THE
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR TO JULY 1904

February-May 1904

The Japanese
Navy secured temporary command of the Yellow Sea with their surprise attack on the
Russian Squadron anchored at Port Arthur, permitting the Japanese 1st
Army to land in Korea on 9 February. During March and
April the 1st Army moved north to the YaluRiver to secure the Japanese hold on Korea. At the same time, the Russians
created the Eastern Detachment to stop any Japanese movement north into Manchuria. On 30 April-1 May, the two forces met
at the Battle of the Yalu. While the Russians were
defeated, they retreated in good order.

May 1904

While the
Japanese 1st Army regrouped at Feng-huang-cheng,
the Russians decided to reinforce the Eastern Detachment. The II Siberian Army
corps, mobilizing, was dispatched eastwards and joined the III Siberian Army
Corps. Both sides continued to build-up their forces and await events to the
west.

In the west,
the Japanese landed the 2nd Army at Pi-tzu-wo
from 5 to 13 May. After positioning forces to protect itself from a Russian
attack from the north, the 2nd Army advanced towards Port Arthur, contacted the Russian defenses at Nan Shan, and prepared to attack. Bad weather
delayed the attack until 25 May, when the 1st, 3rd and 4th
Japanese Divisions positioned themselves to attack the reinforced 5th
East Siberian Regiment at Chin Chou. The 5th Siberian held out until
early on the morning of the 26th, delaying the attack on the Nan Shan position.

On the
evening of the 25th,during the Chin Chou battle, Major
General Fock’s horse was spooked by lighting and
threw him, causing serious injuries. Major General Kondratenko
of the 7th East Siberian Division was ordered to take command, and arrived
early the next morning having ridden all night from Port Arthur. There was little he could do except
survey the defenses, but he resolved to stop the Japanese at this strategic
choke-point.

The Japanese preliminary
bombardment of the main Nan Shan position began at 0530 on the 26th. Having observed
the initial attacks and being informed of Col. Trekaykov’s
requests for reinforcements, Major General Kondratenko
quickly committed the 14th East Siberian Rifle Regiment to the
fight. As the main threat was on the Russian eastern flank, the 5th
E.S.R. Regiment began to concentrate in that area, with the 14th
E.S.R. Regiment taking over the less engaged western flank. As the battle moved
towards a decision in the afternoon, Major General Kondratenko
committed the 1st Battalion, 13th East Siberian Rifle
(E.S.R.) Regiment as a reserve for the defenders, while positioning the 4th
E.S. Artillery Brigade to provide fire support. The Japanese 4th
Division, in a final attempt to turn the flank, waded into the waters of ChinChouBay. Moving towards shore, however, they
found themselves facing the relatively fresh 14th E.S.R. Regiment,
supported by two batteries of the 4th E.S.A. Brigade.The Russian Regiment easily held off the
attack. As night fell, the Japanese attack had been stopped with over 7,000
causalities. Russian losses were less than 1,000.

A strategic
setback for the Japanese, the Russian victory at Nan Shan denied the Japanese the use of the port of Dalny and thus the ability to build up
their forces in the theater, as Pi-tzu-wo was
insufficient to support any build-up of the Japanese forces. Without facilities
to support additional troops, the Japanese were strategically stymied. The 1st
Army couldn’t advance in the east, as the Russians would be able to concentrate
on it with little fear of a threat from the south. The newly created 4th
Army was landed at Ta-ku-san as a connecting force,
but it was too small to provide any real support to 1st Army without
the 2nd Army also advancing.The Japanese 2nd Army, in turn, lacked sufficient forces to
both contain Port Arthur and advance northward as long as the
Russians held Nan
Shan.

June 1904

Fortunately
for the Japanese, the Russians were still attempting to mobilize forces and
weren’t disposed towards aggressive action. After the Battle of the Yalu, the X and XVII Army
Corps were mobilized for deployment to Manchuria. The successful outcome of the Battle of Nan Shan eased concerns in the Russian court,
and further mobilizations were canceled.

Wishing to
resolve the war with as little effort as possible, and always concerned with Russia’s western border with Europe, and in light of Japanese inactivity
in the first two weeks of June, the Tsar made several decisions. The X and XVII
Armies would continue to Manchuria, but would replace the garrison of Vladivostok and Harbin rather than deploying into Manchuria. The two brigades of these corps
currently around Liao-yang would be withdrawn to join
their Divisions. This plan kept these two corps available for deployment back
to European Russia if the need should arise. The newly
named V Siberian Army Corps (2nd and 8th E.S.R.
Divisions) would deploy into Manchuria once relived by the two European army corps. The IV Siberian
Army Corps would complete mobilization, but no other units were scheduled for
use in Manchuria. Diplomacy would be used to attempt
an end to the war.

This lack of
reinforcement s caused General Kuropatkin (commander of the Russian Manchurian
Army) to take a cautious position. Rather than organizing his forces forward
around Liao-yang, he decided to make Mukden his center of gravity. After arriving
units had assembled around Mukden, he would decide to which area they
would deploy. This would ensure that the Japanese couldn’t create a decisive
battle in the near term and provide time for the mobilizing unit to form and train-up.
Again, time was the key element for the Russians.

However the
Japanese chose not to remain idle, and the strategic situation changed in late
June. Lieutenant General Oku’s second attack on Nan Shan was launched with the navy in
support. The Russian 7th Division, back under the command of Major
General Fock, was poorly handled and lost the
position after two days of heavy fighting. The 5th E.S.R. Regiment,
brave defenders of the position during the first battle, were back in Port
Arthur awaiting transport to Newchaung so they could
rejoin their division. With the loss of Nan Shan, the Japanese were able to seize Dalny, and immediately began to clear that port.

With the
initial Russian peace feelers already public, the Japanese recognized that time
could become in short supply, but the idea of a quick victory, dashed by Nan Shan, was hard to revive. Costs were
mounting and the euphoria from the Yalu had been lost. Only a series of quick
successes could place the Japanese in a strong position for the peace talks. Once the 3rd Army landed and
contained Port
Arthur, it
would free other forces for an immediate offensive northward.

July 1904

After the
Japanese 3rd Army successfully landed at Dalny
and began operations against Port Arthur. Clearing the passes in the middle
of the KwantungPeninsula, they closed on the main defenses of
Port
Arthur. Meanwhile,
to the north and east, the long awaited Japanese advance by the 1st,
2nd, and 4th Armies began in the middle of July. The
Russian Eastern Detachment under Lieutenant General Count Keller was able to
hold the position of the passes (Fen-shui Ling, Pa-li Ling, and Mo-tien Ling) and
seriously delay the Japanese 1st Army. However, Lieutenant General
Oku was able to push the Russian Southern Detachment under Lieutenant General Zarabaiev (commander of the IV Siberians) northwards, while
severely handling the IV Siberian Army Corps. In coordination with the 4th
Army, Lieutenant General Oku was able to press the Russians and enter Liao-yang on 4 August. The Russian Southern Detachment
retreated to the Scha Ho and began preparing
positions. With this, operations ceased temporarily as both sides secured their
supply lines and considered their situation.